Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Copyright: 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia

Latest Episodes:

True Lies and Genuine Fakes Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

In 1998, an art gallery gets a mysterious phone call. The caller claims they have been fooled by a master forger and that many of their prized paintings are fakes. Or are they?

This is the story of the life and lies of the notorious Eric Hebborn. What did he do, and what does that teach us about how we can root out deepfakes without undermining our trust in reality?

For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stalling for Survival - A Lonely Fight Against a Deadly Medicine Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

In 1960, FDA scientist Frances Oldham Kelsey is tasked with approving an application for a mild sedative to be sold in America. The drug is popular across Europe and is touted to be free of side effects, so this should be a routine job. But something doesn't sit right with Frances and she starts digging for evidence to support her suspicions. As the pharmaceutical company pushes for speedy approval, Frances discovers the drug's devastating impact. Katie Hafner, host of The Lost Women of Science podcast, joins Tim to explain why America should remember the woman who kept Thalidomide off the market.

To join the brand new Cautionary Club and get access to exclusive episodes and ad-free listening, head to patreon.com/cautionaryclub

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Announcing: The Cautionary Club Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

Do you want more Cautionary Tales episodes in your life? Do you want access to behind the scenes stories and bonus conversations with Tim? Do you want to support us in making the show?

We're excited to announce the brand new Cautionary Club on Patreon. Subscribers will gain access to exclusive content every month, including a newsletter uncovering new details behind a recent episode, a conversation between Tim and one of the team, and a full length Cautionary Tale.

The Cautionary Club is also going to be a space where you can discuss episodes with other members, vote for topics you want to hear about, ask questions, and be the first to hear any Cautionary Tales news.

Join today at patreon.com/cautionaryclub

Our weekly free episodes of Cautionary Tales will continue to drop every Friday, and, if you are a Pushkin + subscriber, you will continue to gain access to exclusive shows from across the Pushkin network. If you are interested in switching your subscription, or have any questions, please email info@pushkin.fm

To join the club today, head to patreon.com/cautionaryclub

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disaster Favours the Daring: Shipwreck at Honda Point Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

In 1923, legendary navigator Captain Dolly Hunter led a squadron of warships into America’s worst peacetime naval catastrophe. The mission was supposed to be a speed trial, a display of the squadron’s skill. But it ended in a maritime pile-up, with some destroyers stranded on rocks, others sinking fast, and deadly oil leaking into the Pacific Ocean. How?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paradise Poisoned: How Utopias Fall Apart Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

Dore Strauch and Friedrich Ritter make an unconventional couple, united by their contempt for shoes, root vegetables and, above all, society. In 1929 they leave Germany and begin anew on the deserted Galapagos island of Floreana. At first, it feels like a paradise, but soon cracks begin to show. Parasitic fleas, bombastic interlopers, and buried tensions turn their escape into a nightmare. Can they learn to thrive away from civilisation, or will Floreana claim more than their dreams?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Genius Still Unrecognised" - The Worst Poet in the World Aug 15, 2025

Show notes

William McGonagall's poems are something else. The jarring meter, the banal imagery, the awkward rhymes: they made him a laughing stock in 19th Century Scotland and are still derided to this day. How does someone get that bad at poetry? Or have we been misunderstanding McGonagall all along?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Office Hell: The Demise of the Playful Workspace (Classic) Aug 08, 2025

Show notes

In the early 90s, cutting-edge advertising agency Chiat/Day announced a radical plan, aimed at giving the company a jolt of creative renewal. They would sweep away corner offices and cubicles and replace them with zany open spaces, as well as innovative portable computers and phones. A brand new era of “hot-desking” had arrived.

Problems quickly began. Disgruntled employees found themselves hauling temperamental, clunky laptops and armfuls of paperwork all over the office; some even had to use the trunks of their cars as filing cabinets. Soon, the unhappy nomads had had enough.

Bad execution was to blame for the failure of this “playful” workspace. But Chiat/Day had made another mistake here, too – one that was more serious, more fundamental and altogether more common.

For a full list of sources for this episode, go to timharford.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Number Fever: How Pepsi Nearly Went Pop (Classic) Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

Pepsi twice ended up in court after promotions went disastrously wrong. Other big companies have fallen into the same trap - promising customers rewards so generous that to fulfil the promise might mean corporate bankruptcy.
Businesses and customers alike are sometimes blinded by the big numbers in such PR stunts - but it's usually the customers, not the businesses, who end up losing out.
For a full list of show notes see http://timharford.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire at The Beverly Hills Supper Club (Update) Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

It's been five years since Cautionary Tales ran a mini-series about the Covid-19 pandemic, exploring the lessons we were learning in real time as the crisis unfolded. 'Fire at The Beverly Hills Supper Club' tells the story of a deadly blaze in a Cincinnati hotel and Tim's own experience reacting to new information about the virus. After the episode, Tim reflects on the anniversary, the cautionary tales the pandemic still had to teach us, and whether we've learned enough to deal with the next one.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Captain Kirk Forgot to put the Machine on Stun" Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

Lying on the cold metal table, Voyne Ray Cox knew the drill. This was his ninth round of cancer treatment - which is why he was certain that what happened next couldn't be right. He heard a sizzling sound and saw a blue flash. And then - agony. It was like someone had thrust a hot skewer through his shoulder. He cried out in pain, but the operator was down the corridor and she couldn't hear him. She blasted him again and again with the red-hot radiation beam.

Ray wasn't the first patient to be burned by the Therac-25 therapy machine, and he wouldn't be the last. Its dual-purpose design, controlled by a software programme, was supposed to offer hospitals more bang for their buck. But as patient after patient suffered ulcerated skin and yawning lesions, it should have been clear that something was horribly wrong. Why did it take so long for anyone to put this awful puzzle together?

For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected